Veggie Fajitas

These are an incredible yummy, filling, lighter alternative to the chicken or beef version. Sliced, hearty portabello mushrooms replace the meat in this simple version of a classic Mexican favorite. It's also a super quick supper idea for nights when your busy and don't have a lot of time to cook. In fact, I don't even think it took me 30 minutes to make these and most of the time was spent slicing the veggies. Give them a try and I promise you won't even know the meat is missing!

One Year Ago: Coconut Shrimp
Two Years Ago: Sugar Cookies

What You Need:

4 large portabello mushroom caps, gills removed and sliced
1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
8 corn tortillas, warmed
2 roma tomtoes, chopped
1-2 tbs canola oil
salt and pepper

What To Do:

In a large, flat bottom skillet, head 1 tbs of oil over medium high heat. Once hot, add in the sliced mushrooms. Do not touch or stir until they are browned which takes a couple minutes. Add in the bell pepper, onion, jalapeno and garlic. Give it a stir and add in more oil ONLY if needed. The mushrooms tend to suck up the oil and leave the pan dry which can cause your veggies to stick. Cook for about 5 to 8 minutes or until they the veggies are just soft but still have a crispness to them. Stir in your seasonings, along with some salt and pepper. Stir in the tomatoes off the heat and serve in the warmed tortillas, topped with some cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice.

Locavore Sammie

Have you heard the term Locavore before? It simply means someone who tries to eat only local grown or produced foods. Think of it as a “farm to table” movement in order to reduce carbon footprints, enhance sustainability and stimulate local economies. Not only that, but eating local grown foods, often means you obtain the freshest, tastiest food possible.  If you’ve read my posts or tweets lately, you’ll see that every Thursday I head to our local farmers market to get all  my fruits and veggies that I need for the week. If they don’t have it, chances are it isn’t in season, and I don’t buy it. Also you would have saw that a few weeks ago, my family and I were invited to enjoy a harvest picnic put on by Blue Marble Farm.  Everything we ate that night was either grown in their garden or in the case of the bread and cheese, was produced locally at other farms in the area. Lisa and Jeff, the owners of Blue Marble Farm, are doing everything right. They run a beautiful one acre farm, that while isn’t certified organic, they follow the organic process. They also have free range chickens and lots of them! It was a great pleasure to see their farm that night and learn how they grow everything. My favorite food is the little cherry tomatoes. When they are in my bag, they usually don’t make it home. They end up in my belly. They’re just so sweet and juicy that I can’t get enough of them. The night of the picnic they made these incredible sammies that were nothing more then local bread, topped with thinly sliced and grilled zucchini and yellow summer squash, locally made cheddar cheese and pea greens. Yes, you read that right, I said pea greens. The flavors were so simple, so clean, something as Americans, we don’t often appreciate. The next week, Lisa had pea greens at the market and you know I snatched them up. I went right home and recreated the sammie. It was just as good as I remembered. If you can’t get pea greens, you can substitute spicy arugula and enjoy the flavors all the same.

What You Need:

2 zucchini, thinly sliced
2 yellow squash, thinly sliced
4 rolls or slices of bread
pea greens or arugula
4 slices of cheddar cheese

What To Do:

Preheat your grill. Once it’s hot, quickly grill the squash. You want it to be nice and soft and have dark grill marks, but not burnt. Because the squash is sliced thin, it cooks fairly quickly. Then just layer your sammie. Bottom roll, cheese, grilled squash, pea greens, top roll and enjoy, knowing you are helping out your local economy, reducing your carbon footprint and loving something good!

Celery, Blue Cheese and Walnut Salad

This quick and easy salad has it all. It’s perfect for something different during the summer months when mac and potato salads reign. It’s tangy, crunchy, creamy and just delicious. Toasting the walnuts in a dry skillet before adding into the salad, gives them such a depth of flavor. It brings out the oils within the nut so that the walnut flavor explodes in your mouth. When they combine with the crisp crunch of the celery and the creamy, tanginess of the blue cheese it’s just wonderful. This salad should be made shortly before serving. The bit of vinegar in the dressing will start to wilt and break down the celery. I guess you could always make it ahead but don’t toss it with the dressing until just before serving. Makes enough for 4 side salads.

What You Need:

a small head of celery (about 8-10 stalks)
1 c walnut halves
1/2 c blue cheese, crumbled or cut into small chuncks
2 tbs red wine or apple cider vinegar
2 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper

What To Do:

In a small skillet toast the walnuts by heating them gently over medium heat. Stir them often, making sure to watch them. They will go from perfect to burnt very quickly. Once they are hot, and you start to smell them, they’re done. Turn off the heat and remove them from the pan. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, remove the bottoms and leaves from the celery and wipe clean. Slice the stalks on a diagonal and place into a large bowl along with the crumbled blue cheese. In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar and olive oil with a bit of salt and pepper. Once the nuts are cool, add them into the bowl with the celery and blue cheese. Pour the dressing over the top, toss it all together well and serve.

Quiona Stuffed Portobella Mushrooms

It has only been the last two years that I have enjoyed mushrooms. It started when I was pregnant with my son. I craved mushrooms. I couldn't get enough of them! While that craving doesn't hit anymore, my taste for mushroom has remained. There is also a movement that Mario Batali, Oprah, and tons of others have gotten involved with called Meatless Monday. This was first brought to my attention by a friend of mine. Her name is Natalie and she runs a blog called "It's Soup!" I encourage you to check her out when you have a few minutes. She has some very cool posts. This is one of my additions. You get plenty of protein from the quinoa and lots of the flavor from the spices. I encourage you to try it out and maybe start having meatless monday in your house too.

What You Need:

4 portobella mushroom caps
1/2 c quinoa
1 c water
2 tbs taco seasoning
1/2 bell pepper (green, red, yellow, orange, doesn't matter)
1 ripe tomato
1/2 c mexican cheese blend, plus a bit more for the top
2 tbs chopped cilantro
Olive oil

What To Do:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse the quinoa and place in a pot with the 1 cup of water and the taco seasoning. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer, uncovered for about 15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorb and the quinoa is cooked. Meanwhile, finely chop the bell pepper. Remove the seeds from the tomato and finely chop that as well. Wipe off the mushroom and pull the stems out. You can take a spoon and gently remove the gills too if you prefer, which is what I did. Once the quinoa is cooked, stir it together with the tomato, bell pepper, cheese and cilantro. Brush the tops of the mushrooms with a bit of oil and place in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove, and fill each cavity with 1/4 of the quinoa filling. Top with a bit more the cheese and return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes or until the mushrooms have slumped and are cooked through.